Issue with neighbour's dog

dogdays22

We're a group of female students renting a house in an estate and the neighbour's dog (which we think is a labrador) has been barking incessantly which has been a bit of a nuisance, but we never felt it was worth getting too bothered over. The dog has always been kept contained in the neighbour's back garden, and we never so much as saw him until the weekend. We're not too sure at all of how it happened, but he was out free a couple of days ago (which we've never noticed before) and while my housemate was at the front door of our house, he charged at her angrily. She just about got the front door closed in time, which he banged against while trying to get at her, and he spent the next hour or so outside the front door growling - so coming across as very threatening indeed. She didn't feel safe to leave the house for the rest of the day.

We're going to go talk to the neighbours (who we've never met before) and establish how this happened and how it can be prevented from happening again. Naturally we're a bit anxious - he certainly did seem violent, and it is a little scary to think what might have happened if she didn't get the door closed in time. We often go to and from the house alone, and are not exactly the best equipped to defend ourselves. I appreciate that this is the first time that this happened which is a little reassuring, but I'm concerned that if he got free once/was let out it could happen again so I'm just wondering where we can proceed from here, apart from obviously getting in touch with the owners.

tk123

Speak to the owners and suss them out/give then the benefit of doubt etc that it was a once off.. but if you don't think there's going to be a resolution report to the dog warden.